HI -

Anyone else experience hypnagogia a lot? You know, that phase between being awake and asleep when your dreams seem SO REAL but you feel like you are paralyzed? Was just wondering as I experience it frequently :-)

I just finished a Tamara Thorne book called, "The Forgotten," in which she mentions it a lot so I suspect that she experiences it as well.

Hi Wings0nite. I thought your topic would do better in this forum, this is where we usually talk about dream stuff. =)

I have experienced what you are talking about, I know it as sleep paralysis. Truly a frightening experience, for me it seems to be associated with stress.

Now much more frequently I experience regular lucid dreaming. In a sense sleep paralysis seems to be a kind of lucid dream because frequently you become aware of the fact that you are dreaming but are unable to control it at all. Regular lucid dreams are much more enjoyable because you can guide them.

I seemed to do this more when I was young, late teens, early twenties. My husband experienced the same thing around that age too. I've also thought it may have been stress related, and it seems to happen to me only when I am in a really deep sleep -- I'm usually a light snoozer. I know it is a really scary experience for a lot of people!

Indeed, it is (or can be) a terrifying experience. You can read about my experience with sleep paralysis here[/URL]. I'm not sure why it seems to happen more often (or start?) when one is in their teens or early 20's - maybe it's a kind of psychic awareness that unfolds at that age?? I still have it happen every now and again, but nothing like it used to.

It also strikes me as odd that so many folks experience this 'dark man' during a sleep paralysis episode. Wings - have your experiences frightened you, or were they pleasant?

Kell

Well Kell, let's see...

The first time I experienced it, I was in my teens. I was awake, I thought, but couldn't move a muscle. Only my eyes were open. I heard someone come into my bedroom, and over to the side of my bed. The next thing I felt was someone trying to smother me, hold my face down into my pillow! It was very frightening.
Several months later, I experienced it again but this time I felt like I was drowning. When I finally awakened fully, I actually felt water in the bed. It was raining, the roof was leaking and there really WAS water in my bed!
Throughout my life I experience it at different times. Yes, it does seem to appear during a stressful time. Some of the experiences have been pleasant though. Once while my husband was in Louisiana on a business trip, and I was missing him, I felt him get into bed with me and cuddle with me. Obviously, that was a pleasant one :-)

Sounds like you've had some not so good great experiences too! I hope it doesn't happen too often.

Kell

Kell-

I read about your experience, it sounds as frightening as many of mine have been. But the funny thing is that now I KNOW what is happening I want to bring it back more. I want to experience it, do I sound crazy? I know I am dreaming, and it cannot hurt me, so I WANT to experience it. I want to be able to direct it. I realized that if I lay on my side, it is more likely to happen. So lately I've been trying to lay on my side, but sometimes all I get from that posture is a stiff neck! LOL! Plus, when I lay on my side one of my cats figures it is time to love his/her human and destroys my concentration and I cannot get there again. I used to be able to command it, control it in a way. Lately it takes me by surprise, and I am not happy with the "dream." Very interesting though...

Wings

Is it sleep paralysis that you want to experience, or lucid dreaming/astral travel?

If it's the latter (recommended ), I have a book that seems pretty good for giving lots of info and how-tos, etc. It's called Adventures Beyond The Body by William Buhlman.

Good luck in your adventures! Let us know if you have any success! =)

Kell

Kell-

It is lucid dreaming I am interested in, and thank you for the book recommendation. I shall look into it :-)

Wings